Connecticut Permit Test FAQ

25 questions, and you need 20 of them right to pass. It is based on the Connecticut Driver's Manual, and you must pass it (with a vision test) before the permit is issued. (Connecticut Driver's Manual, p. 5)

No. Connecticut gives the knowledge and vision tests in person only, by appointment at select DMV offices. The computer test comes in several languages, including English and Spanish. (Connecticut DMV: Take the knowledge and vision test)

You wait seven days before you can try again, and you pay the exam fee again when you reschedule. (Connecticut DMV: Take the knowledge and vision test)

A free online course of under an hour. Since January 1, 2026, everyone applying for a Connecticut learner's permit must finish it and show the completion certificate at the knowledge test. (Connecticut DMV: Take the knowledge and vision test)

At least 16. The permit stays valid for two years from the day it is issued, or until you get your license if that comes first. (Connecticut Driver's Manual, p. 5)

Only a licensed driving instructor (and people with that instructor), or one trainer who is at least 20 and has held an unsuspended license for four years in a row; parents or guardians may come along with the trainer. (Connecticut Driver's Manual, p. 6)

At least 40 hours behind the wheel on the road, from a driving school, home training or both. The DMV advises about 100 hours before driving alone. (Connecticut Driver's Manual, p. 7)

120 days after the permit is issued if you finished driver education at a commercial driving school or a high school program, or 180 days if you trained at home. (Connecticut Driver's Manual, p. 6)

Not from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., except for a job, school, religious activities, a medical need, the Safe Ride Program or volunteer fire and ambulance duty. (Connecticut Driver's Manual, p. 8)

Yes. When any vehicle is stopped at the side of the road, slow below the posted limit and move one lane away from it when you can do so safely. (Connecticut Driver's Manual, p. 16)